mortal combat
Fight to death
Mortal combat is a fight to the death—combat where at least one participant will die.
The phrase emphasizes life-or-death stakes: The gladiators engaged in mortal combat for the emperor's amusement.
It appears in legal, military, and dramatic contexts where survival itself is at issue.
The video game franchise *Mortal Kombat* deliberately misspells the phrase.
- fightPhysical or verbal conflict
- battleArmed military engagement
- duelPrearranged one-on-one combat
- gladiatorAncient Roman arena combatant
- affair of honorCombat over reputation
warrior · deathmatch · warfare · life-or-death · clash · fatality · blood feud · blood sport · kill or be killed · adversaries · bloodshed · no holds barred · bare knuckle · to the death · hand to hand · showdown · opponent · conflict
- combatbattle, fight, grappling, defend, striking
- Duelingduel, duels, dueling, duelist, pistols at dawn
- trial by combattrial by ordeal, ordeal, divine judgment, champion, challenger
mortal combatsparring match
Controlled combat for training
mock battle · training exercise · exhibition match · roughhousing · scrimmage
mortal combatpeaceful coexistence
Non-hostile international relations
alliance · reconciliation · harmony · peace · collaboration
combat, mortal, immortal, combative, mortals, mortify, moribund, immortality, mortality